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Grilled cheese, please!

This kids'-menu staple may be the greatest thing on sliced bread. (No offense, PB&J.) But fatty fillings and white toast can make it a diet disaster. Give the gooey treat a grown-up makeover with these five tricks.

Slice it right Lose the not-so-wonderful white and use sprouted-grain bread; it has more nutrients, including 3 grams of fiber to white bread's 0, says Natalia Rusin, R.D., of Rouge Tomate restaurant in New York City. And at roughly 80 calories a slice, it is slimmer than some whole-wheat options.

Trade in your (potato) chips Place slices of Bartlett pear or Granny Smith apple in your 'wich. You'll get a vitamin-infused crunch sans salt and grease, and greater heft for fewer calories, says Michelle May, M.D., author of Am I Hungry? What to Do When Diets Don't Work (Nourish Publish­ing). What's more, both fruits are ripe with flavor and filling fiber.

Be choosier about cheese Reach for naturally lower-fat goat cheeses and feta, which is made from sheep's or goat's milk. (Options such as cheddar are typically made with cream.) These soft varieties take longer to melt, so keep your grilled cheese on the heat an extra minute or two. Not a fan of feta? Use part-skim Swiss.

Stuff it with salad Work in color and nutrients: Add ½ cup fresh spinach to your melt for a dose of vitamins A, C and K, which help protect against heart disease, cancer and bone disease, respectively. Top your greens with a layer of lycopene-loaded tomato slices; heating them releases even more antioxidants.

Ham it up If you want to add meat, pick a lean protein to give your sandwich a lift: Trade 2 strips of traditional bacon for 2 slices Healthy Choice Virginia Smoked Ham; doing so saves you 24 calories and 5 grams of fat, says Peggy O'Shea Kochenbach, R.D., of Brookline, Massachusetts. Grill to perfection for a sandwich that sizzles!